David Estes

FALMOUTH — David Estes, founder of the Landfall restaurant in Woods Hole, died at his home on Aug. 11, 2008. He was 86.

For the past several years, Mr. Estes and his wife, Virginia, lived in Falmouth during the summer months. For the rest of the year, they lived in Stuart, Fla.

His parents had summer vacation homes in Davisville and Menauhant, parts of Falmouth, so he described himself as a "summer kid" who always wanted to return and settle in Falmouth. He did this in 1946 by building and opening his restaurant.

He graduated from Cornell University and entered the Army just after the start of World War II. He spent his military duty with the Office of Strategic Services in Washington, D.C., completing his final OSS assignment in Nuremberg, Germany, as part of Justice Robert Jackson's staff.

In the fall of 1950, he closed down the restaurant early to take advantage of the last year of the G.I. Bill by enrolling at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. He met Virginia Apgar of Elgin, Ill., there and they were married at the end of that academic year, in time to get back to Woods Hole and to re-open the restaurant. He continued the operation for 42 years, until two of his sons, Donald and Jim, took over ownership and management.

Mr. Estes was involved with civic affairs in Falmouth. He was a Town Meeting member for 33 years, a member of the Town Finance Committee, and served on the School Committee for six years. He was a director of the Falmouth National Bank and trustee of Falmouth Hospital. He was also a trustee of Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable. He was the first president of the Falmouth Youth Hockey League. He wrote the by-laws of the league and established much of its structure. He was instrumental in having the League become the owner of the Falmouth Ice Arena.

He loved the game of golf not only as a player but as a fan. He was a past member of the New England Golf Association, the American Golf Association, The Southern Golf Association, and the Bay State Seniors Golf Association, where he was on the board of directors. He was a member of the Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart, Fla., and on the board of directors there. He was also a member of the Woods Hole Golf Club. At the time of his death, he had been a member there longer than anyone else.

Mr. Estes leaves his wife Virginia; his children, Steven of Alachua, Fla., William, of Falmouth, Donald and James, of Falmouth and Woods Hole; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, at St. Barnabas Memorial Church, Main Street, Falmouth. Interment is private.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601, Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation for Falmouth Hospital, P.O. Box 370, Hyannis, MA 02601, or to the Martin Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 9010, Stuart, FL 34995.

Arrangements are by the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home of Falmouth. For online guest book, directions and obituary, please visit

www.ccgfuneralhome.com.